Roberto Luongo gives the Vancouver Canucks the solid goaltending they've been lacking for years. (Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images)
Backgrounder | 2006-07 NHL season
Vancouver Canucks
Last Updated Fri., Sept. 29, 2006
Tony Care, CBC Sports
2005-06 Record: 42-32-8, 9th in Western Conference (Missed the playoffs).
Arrivals: LW Jan Bulis, C Marc Chouinard, D Rory Fitzpatrick, D Lukas Krajicek, G Roberto Luongo, D Willie Mitchell, LW Taylor Pyatt, C Brandon Reid, D Joe Rullier.
Departures: D Bryan Allen, RW Anson Carter, G Alex Auld, RW Todd Bertuzzi, D Sean Brown, D Keith Carney, G Dan Cloutier, D Ed Jovanovski, D Eric Weinrich.
Offence: The Canucks were expected to flourish under the new obstruction rules, but the production failed to match the hype. Vancouver scored just 252 goals and ranked 12th in the league last season. The exits of Todd Bertuzzi and Anson Carter mean the underachieving Markus Naslund needs to step up his game. The 33-year-old Swede finished 29th in league scoring with 79 points, including a dismal minus-19 rating. With Brendan Morrison and the Sedin twins – Daniel and Henrik – joining Naslund on offence, the Canucks will have plenty of speed to create scoring opportunities. However, simply generating chances won't be enough to compete in the Western Conference this year.
Defence: The Canucks were decimated by injuries last season during the Olympic break. Ed Jovanovski and Sami Salo spent so much time off the ice that the team just couldn't recover. The Canucks' blue-line also took a big hit when Jovanovski left to sign a big free-agent deal with the Phoenix Coyetes. Vancouver still has two solid offensive defenceman in Mattias Ohlund and Salo, but replacing Jovanovski's physical presence won't be easy. Vancouver general manager Dave Nonis wasted no time in signing rugged defenceman Willie Mitchell away from Dallas. Mitchell, a 6-3 205-pound mauler, is surprisingly agile for his size, and with his big shot from the point he should give Vancouver another viable option on the power play.
Goaltending: The Canucks feel they've solved their goaltending problems courtesy of the blockbuster trade on the eve of the NHL draft in June for Roberto Luongo. The six-year veteran posted a 2.97 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage last season, yet never led the Florida Panthers to the playoffs in five seasons. Still, Luongo is regarded as one of the best goaltenders in the NHL and should provide stability to a position that's been long viewed as a weakness in Vancouver. For his part, Nonis is banking on Luongo being the long-term answer for the franchise, signing the 27-year-old goaltender to a four-year, $27 million US contract a week following the big trade.
Coaching: Nonis had a definite plan in place when he fired coach Marc Crawford following a lacklustre campaign. Nonis targeted Alain Vigneault, who coached Vancouver's affiliate AHL team in Manitoba last season, and denied other teams access to interview the former Montreal bench boss for their coaching vacancies. Vigneault coached the Canadiens for three-plus seasons (1997-2001), but only guided the team to the playoffs in his first year. With a reputation of a firm-but-fair coach, Vigneault's main responsibility will be to generate more wins out a team that disappointed its fans in a big way last season.
Scott Morrison's take: Let it not be said the Canucks were not given ample time to succeed. Some would suggest they were given too much time, but after falling flat last season Nonis made some bold moves to shake things up.
Canucks captain Markus Naslund has seen some shifts with the Sedin twins during the pre-season. (Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images)
The boldest and best move, though, was trading Bertuzzi and whatever baggage he had acquired, to Florida in a multi-player deal that landed Luongo, who has solved that franchise's major problem once and for all.
Now, the addition of Luongo is an excellent one, though the loss of Jovanovski will be felt. But it remains to be seen how Naslund and linemate Brendan Morrison respond without Bertuzzi and if there is an adequate winger to play with them. The other key is for Bulis, or someone, to keep the Sedins pointed in the right direction. In pre-season, Naslund has performed well with the twins, which makes for some interesting possibilities.
After years of falling short and failing to realize their potential, though, this team needed a shakeup and Nonis did a pretty good job. The goaltending move alone should be enough to get them back into the playoffs.
